Reverberation Modulation
by dessertisserved
Summary: Spoiler alert for Season 7 episode 10, it would be helpful if you have watched that episode to understand the backstory covered here. Does one more dreadful statement from Sheldon mean the end of Shamy or will it help them bridge the gaps keeping them from further intimacy? Your reviews will be appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: This is completely unrelated to my other story. To my readers waiting for an update to ****_Bifurcation Theory_**** it will be up very soon, as I intend to finish that one in the New Year. Thank you for your patience. In the meantime I hope you enjoy my latest Shamy fic.**

I honestly don't prefer angst but I needed to work out my emotions and I prefer creativity over anger.

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**Disclaimer: The Big Bang Theory and all characters and creative elements derived from the source material belong exclusively to Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. They are just my paper dolls.**

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Chapter 1

Amy had spent Tuesday morning reviewing and sorting the individual primate records. The latest delay in her current project would allow her time to double check all the data before submitting her latest analysis. The meticulousness required for the task enabled her mind to stay away from the troubling thoughts she had about her relationship that were reignited during the previous evening.

1001001

Sheldon's prickly tone and accusation that "It's always sex with you" had startled her at first but after the initial shock had settled, it had hurt her severely. Combined with his agreement of Raj's ridiculous input Amy felt herself repeatedly swallowing a lump that formed in her throat. As the minutes passed it grew larger forcing a huge wet droplet to roll down her cheek which she caught with the back of her hand. She excused herself to the bathroom where she could corral her emotions. In the presence of the company in the apartment she could not broach her troubling questions on her mind with him at that moment.

_Is this what you really think about me? About us_

She returned to the bustle of the living area where Raj was cuddling Cinnamon and Sheldon was complaining that the pup was supposed to stay in her crate. She locked eyes with Penny who was throwing away her Big Gulp cup. Penny furrowed her brows sympathetically then stepped towards her, locked her hand around Amy's forearm and gave her a gentle squeeze. Amy felt like the hand was squeezing her heart and a floodgate of tears was getting ready to burst open.

"Sheldon, I'm just going to go now." She croaked while shuffling towards her belongings near the door and being careful not to look anyone in the eye in fear that she would display her inner distress.

"Aren't we going to have tea?"

She reached for the door but stopped to answer, "It's better if I leave."

"I understand completely. No amount of tea is going to help us settle down with all this commotion."

"Good night, everyone." Before there was a response she rushed down the stairs gripping her purse with white knuckle tightness. Jumping off the last step with both feet she locked her spine in a completely upright position like a gymnast sticking a landing then jutting her chin upwards she squeezed her eyes shut. She paused long enough for a chance to aspirate, first expelling a halted breath through her mouth and then taking in some lung filling oxygen through her nose. After each breath she slowly repeated a mantra.

_Serenity now_

_Serenity now_

_Serenity now_

By the time she was home she was furious and her tear ducts were dry. Except for the glow of her microwave's numerals and a bedroom lamp on a timer, her apartment was dark. She opted to keep it that way and decided it was the perfect time to employ her knowledge of aromatherapy's affect on sections of the cerebrum to help her relax. She poured lavender oil into a gray ceramic warmer, lit three white flameless candles and prepared herself a bubble bath; she needed to calm down before she would be able to think clearly.

1001001

Leonard glanced across the lunchroom table at Sheldon. "I better just get this over with and let you know that I've been invited to appear on Science Friday this week."

"You're headed to New York?"

"No, Ira Flatow is still recording locally this week. He is at the Thousand Oaks radio station KCLU 88.3, so I'll drop you off then drive over for the show."

"Let me guess, he's celebrating your experiment disproving my discovery? When will that man stop mocking me?"

"Sheldon, he is not mocking you. He is simply reporting news in the world of science. Are we going to add paranoia to the never ending list of your afflictions?"

"How can you say he is not mocking me? He didn't ask about any details about the discovery or what it means. He just wanted to point out all the embarrassing discrepancies. That's not reporting! That's yellow journalism!" Sheldon rose knocking down his chair as he stood.

Raj picked it up to get to his seat and using his soothing counselor tone suggested,"Sheldon you need to calm down. I think the cafeteria patrons would like to eat in peace this week."

Sheldon became conscience of the disgruntled faces glaring at him; he looked around at them unapologetically but sat down. "You again? Since when did you get the idea that everyone wants your opinion?" He ranted at a lower volume.

"You seemed pretty accepting of my opinion last night."

"Don't flatter yourself. When?"

"When I was giving you and _Amy_ relationship advice, that's when." He slightly fish puckered his lips and wiggled his head with an "all that" attitude.

Sheldon was ready to argue against his assertion when a knowing look spread across his face, "uh – oh".

Leonard seized the moment to redirect the conversation. "Penny said you were both idiots towards Amy. Wait – not exactly. She said that _you_ Sheldon were an ass and an idiot and that Raj was an idiot." He emphasized his knowledge by pointing his index finger across the table as he spoke about each one before continuing, "I however am in good graces this week because _you_ are making me miserable and _you_ Raj are allowing me to demonstrate what a good friend I can be." He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and he smirked, relishing his status with his girlfriend.

It was short lived as Sheldon chose one word as a point of emphasis. "_I_ made you miserable? _Excuse me_ but it's you _who_ made me miserable!" He huffed, grabbed what remained of his lunch and left to the sounds of applause as he walked out the door.

1001001

Sheldon sheepishly knocked on the doorframe to Amy's Caltech lab.

_Knock, knock, knock_ Dr. Fowler

_Knock, knock, knock_ Dr. Fowler

_Knock, knock, knock_ Dr. Fowler

"Yes, Sheldon." Amy answered softly without looking up from her paperwork.

The wary smile that he arrived with was erased. Amy usually greeted him with sparkling eyes even when she was in her professional mode at the university. Seeing her eyes and effervescent smile always made his heart skip a beat but it appeared she wouldn't be turning to share those with him on that day.

Cautiously he stated, "You haven't answered my calls or texts."

Amy reached over to pick up and look at her phone. "Oh, I guess I forgot I had silenced it earlier so I could concentrate on my work," she responded flatly.

"I also meant the one's I sent last night."

When she didn't respond he continued, "um– um I was just wondering if we'll be going together to the Cheesecake Factory or should I just go with Leonard and meet you there?" He stepped closer to look at her computer and peek over her shoulder to see what was diverting her attention.

"I have too much work to get done so I'm just going to stay late. It's better if you didn't expect me." She answered matter-of-factly.

Even when they spoke via phone he could hear a special joy in her voice but he noticed that it was missing at the moment. "Why has your work load suddenly increased?"

"Three of the monkeys became ill this weekend and yesterday four more started showing the same symptoms. They've ordered blood work on all the primates before we proceed. Depending on the results our work may be delayed two to six weeks. I promised Dr. Gunderson that I would get him the updated data sets and a report by Friday for his review. It will need to be included in our status report to the benefactors of the study."

"Betsy's not one of them is she?" Sheldon asked with concern in his voice.

Sheldon had enjoyed interacting with Betsy the capuchin monkey since their first meeting and Amy would let him know when she would be working with her so he could visit and watch. She would amuse herself by observing the two take turns making faces and then mimicking each other. On those days she kept a personal journal of their interactions so that she could revisit her notes when she needed a chuckle.

It was the sweetness of his question about the little creature that finally relaxed her enough so she could turn towards him. She felt too much tension to want to have the needed conversation at work so she avoided his eyes to conceal her anguish and lack of proper sleep.

"No. Betsy was already relocated but she's isolated for observation. Hopefully, she won't have to stay in quarantine for long. You know how she loves being social."

He chortled in agreement but suddenly began backing out of the lab. "This isn't some type of hot zone is it? We aren't all going to contract the ebola virus? Why haven't they put up biohazard signs? Amy we have to get you out of here!" He rushed towards her when she returned to her previous action of writing notes, grabbed her pen, threw it on her desk and pulled on her lab coat sleeves.

Amy threw her hands in the air, looked at Sheldon, then back at the pen and spoke calmly, "Slow down. Relax. The lab has been sanitized from ceiling to floor several times since Thanksgiving and I haven't had any primates in here since then. You know first hand that my demands on cleanliness are nonnegotiable."

"That's true but it is also known that cross-species transmission is possible. I know what happened in Reston, Virginia."

"Yes but these are institutional monkeys who are closely monitored throughout their lives and have never been in the wild or kept as pets. It is most likely that the diagnosis will be what we would call an upper respiratory infection. We've taken extra precautions because it's a wise and humane policy."

"Are you positive it's safe?" Amy nodded and he released her arm.

"Amy did you even get any sleep last night? Your face betrays your lack of REM sleep." For the first time since he arrived she looked directly at him and he didn't like the hurt he registered when he saw the redness and puffiness of her eyes.

"It's not the monkeys that are keeping me awake."

His stomach had begun to churn as he asked, "Amy, what's wrong? Are you mad at me?"

"I could ask you the same thing Sheldon Cooper. What's wrong? Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you. Why would you think such a thing?"

"When you snapped at me last night ~ excuse me pre-evening ~ you gave me the impression that you are not happy with me or us." Her voice began to quiver so she returned to her paperwork.

Sheldon tried to find something to distract himself on the laces of his shoes or by calculating the number of floor tiles in the room. He was now certain about what had awakened him three hours earlier than his usual wake-up time. At first he assigned the cause to a pesky buzz from a gnat until he determined that the sound was coming from inside his brain. Following a trip to the kitchen for a small glass of water he returned to his bed and wiggled himself into the stiff vampire position he preferred. Sleep remained elusive, the buzz was replaced by an almost silent _swoosh_ but the worst pestering came from a photographic memory. A memory of Amy Farrah Fowler played in his brain on an infinite loop. The _swoosh_ came from the apartment door closing behind her followed by the sound of her voice.

_"It's better if I leave."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: This is my attempt to convey that Sheldon and Amy are getting distracted by their thoughts on some moments in their recent past. I hope it comes across that way and won't be confusing.**

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**Disclaimer: The Big Bang Theory and all characters and creative elements derived from the source material belong exclusively to Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. **

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Chapter 2

After a pregnant pause Amy looked back at Sheldon and watched him stare down at his shoes. Certain he was wishing to be anywhere but there at that moment; she empathized with his desired detachment and lost herself in her own preoccupations.

The bath the previous evening had successfully soothed her and allowed her to slip tranquilly to sleep. Sometime in the night, tentacles of moonlight reached her eyelids, springing them open. A glance at the clock on her nightstand read 3:00 a.m. She could see her tiara, which was usually stored in a velvet lined box, was uncovered; the surreptitious light ricocheted off each diamond's inner facets before dispersing as a wayward constellation on her ceiling. She admired the luminous display and the power of an object that had affected her so strongly. Until the day she had first worn her tiara she had never permitted herself to be sucked in by fairy tales but now it seemed that she was repeatedly paying a price for believing.

She didn't rise to shut the curtains for another hour until her tissue box was empty and she was certain she'd had the benefit cleansing of a "good cry". She padded to her kitchen for some headache tablets and tea but lost her interest in the latter and settled on tepid water instead. Upon returning to her bedroom she tossed a towel over the tiara and gave a tug to the curtains the result of which swathe the room in darkness leaving only neon lit words in her mind. Open. Closed. Exit.

"I shouldn't have said it." Sheldon's voice halted her train of thought, rattling her back into reality.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear clearly."

Without lifting his head he answered slowly and precisely. "I shouldn't have said it."

Surprised at his admission she asked, "For clarity I need you to tell me what you think you shouldn't have said?"

He lifted his head but stared in the distance, swallowed and answered, "Everything is sex with you."

"Thank you." He turned his gaze towards her as she continued, "let me add that I'm not interested in whether you should have or shouldn't have said it. I'm interested in knowing what made you say what you said."

There was a melancholy timbre in her tone that he didn't recognize and it threw off his equilibrium. As he raised his right hand to his ear he blurted, "We should have gone on the walk."

"You're not answering my questions."

"Amy. I just had a very bad day and week. You know how that affected me. Please don't be angry." He loathed the idea of pleading but his spatial disorientation was forcing an unrestricted bluntness while his cerebral hemispheres battled to keep him from tipping over.

"Do you know how it affected me? And wasn't I with you trying to help you feel better? Did I not bring Wil over to help you realize that in time you could take this experience and learn from it? Did I not take time away from my work to help you deal with all of it - I was stressed too because I don't like seeing you unhappy."

"You did all those things." He affirmed but the crack in her voice increased the spin of the room. He released his ear and gripped her desk for balance and because he had to lean towards her to listen as her voice was barely above a whisper. The volume she chose made him uncertain if she was talking to him or herself.

"When you thought you found the element I celebrated your joy. When you discovered that you made a mistake only I understood your personal disappointment. I understood the need for your work to have integrity and not be the result of some blunder. And I understand that you struggle to deal with the cacophony of emotions invading your mind but it's – "

Before she finished her sentence a student assistant burst into the room. "Dr. Fowler, the video conference request from the CDC just arrived in the meeting room. We are answering it and telling them I've come to get you."

"Oh, no! I have the time down for 4:00 o'clock."

"They must have meant Atlanta time."

"You must be right. Thank you, Cindy. Please tell them I'm on way."

As the student was leaving Amy turned to see Sheldon's eyes open up to the width of saucers caused by climbing high pitched panic made evidence by his voice, "Amy the CDC's been informed about the hot zone?"

Shaking her head she answered, "No Sheldon, this is about the e-cigarette addiction studies they want me to consult on."

"Oh yes." His neck muscles released their tension, "The one we've been discussing all summer."

She nodded. "I need to go. Please close the door on your way out." Gathering her clip board and pens she left him bracing himself against her desk with a two-handed vice grip.

1001001

Raj moved into the chair next to Sheldon's. "I can't decide if I want the key lime cheesecake or if I should choose pie tonight for dessert."

"I don't care what you choose but you need to move back to your seat."

"Come on. Amy's not coming for dinner so we'll just pull the chair out and give ourselves more room."

"She may not be joining us tonight but that is not an opportunity to change anything. We'll carry on as always, as if she was seated next to me."

"You're right. You've been ignoring her lately when she eats with us, so it is just like any other Tuesday."

"Again with your advice?"

"Not advice. It's an observation."

"What hallucinogenic potion have you taken to make you think that you are Oprah?" He queried with a look of exhaustion.

_It was none their business_

He didn't want to divulge how he and Amy liked to communicate. After Amy's first day at Caltech he had asked her to articulate why she had kicked him under the table. It was during a dinner at the Cheesecake Factory that she explained and clued him in on the bruise he gave her near her ankle. Horrified by the information he caressed her leg with his foot before he could reconsider is actions. The smile and scarlet color that bloomed on her face made him grin, she liked it, he liked it and it felt safe. Since then, during busy group conversations or when he got wrapped up reading on his phone he would let his foot wander to meet hers with a stroke or tap. She always returned the favor but seldom initiated it so he logged an entry in his _Working On It_ journal that he would make it a habit to continue every time they ate at the Cheesecake Factory.

Penny reached across to place the drink orders in front of each place setting, "It's true Sheldon. You've been so wrapped up in your discovery that you've pretty much been an ass to Amy and everybody around you."

"You mean slapped that ass of Amy's while everybody's around you," snickered Howard while twirling an imaginary moustache and wiggling his eyebrows. "So Sheldon were you punished or rewarded for your -" Bernadette had pushed the back of his head with three of her tiny fingers.

"She was defending you and you had to bring it up?"

"Of course I did. It will help me recover from the shock."

Sheldon's face was burning with discomfort which he tried to channel towards Howard in a death stare until Leonard piped in, "I'm kinda glad I didn't see it. I still feel bad about embarrassing Amy during the Dungeons and Dragons game so I can only imagine how this made her feel."

Penny nodded agreement then turned to snarl at Sheldon, "And the beer thing. Really? Geesh. At least she didn't get it for you."

Raj made an attempt to lighten the mood by playfully pretending to punch Sheldon in the arm, "It would have spoiled his dinner and it was time to serve. And to answer your question, I've been watching Dr. Laura Berman for relationship advice on Oprah's channel. Expect copies of her books for Christmas."

-o-

Sheldon seethed but kept the straw in his mouth slowly sipping his cola. Amy had not said a word about the Thanksgiving incident. He wasn't sure if it was because she wasn't bothered or because they had been distracted by the itinerary of scheduled appearances that he discovered when he checked his university email on Friday afternoon. His head and stomach were still recovering from his drinking and the news heightened his irritable state. He began to carp about it immediately when she arrived that evening after a visit to her mother's house. She took the printed schedule from him, grabbed his planner and her ipad.

"We need to dissect this into smaller pieces Sheldon. There is no time to pout this is the price you are going to have to pay to be in the spotlight."

"I'm not going to let the university parade me around at their whim."

She handed his planner back with the dates marked and highlighted and then took his phone to do the same.

"Sheldon, your success translates into dollars for the university and for your department; a few hours of role-play will not kill you. You would have already entered this information into your phone if it were something else. Ignoring it won't make it go away."

"Role-play?"

"Yes, just think of it as role-play. We have one week to get you ready. You are a possible Noble prize candidate – _a friendly candidate _- and the world wants to learn more about your brilliance. Could you play that part?"

"Alright"

"Just don't let him wear that hideous plaid suit," piped in Penny as she passed through to Leonard's room.

The next morning Sheldon and Amy were the first at the men's store beating the after Black Friday shopper's. Amy loved Sheldon's plaid suit and sense of style but decided to take Penny's suggestion and pick up a new suit for his PR tour. His foul mood had returned with the new task of shopping for clothes.

"You might as well try the suits on for me. I really don't want to." He moaned when they entered the store.

"Okay"

Amy appeared before him in a light grey plaid three-piece suit in exactly his size, pants extending in pools of fabric around her feet, hair twisted into a messy bun, she waved her jacket covered hands in a flourish and sung, "Tah dah".

What he rigidly remarked was, "If you're going to wear a vest you need a pocket watch. Good thing I own one." What he thought was, _"You make my life so much better."_

Then he laughed and joined in to help her select a pocket square, matching tie and demonstrated on her, how to tie a perfect knot. "Did you know that there are four different ways to knot a tie; the four-in-hand, the traditional Windsor knot, half Windsor knot and the Pratt knot? I prefer the traditional of course but my favorite is not wearing a tie at all."

Amy only smiled, savored the nearness of his hands and breath, while her gaze roamed over his eyes, lips and neck.

He tried on an identical suit, along with others before settling on a dark camel colored blazer and dark pants. He didn't let Amy change back into her clothes until he was done and in the mean time he asked the cashier girl to take various pictures of them wearing their suits and an assortment of hats. Amy's petite size was magnified as she was engulfed by the suit, so when he looked at the pictures later the only word that came to mind was one he thought he'd never need to use. _Adorable._

"I see that you've refilled your quiver of whimsy." Is what he told her as he prepared to pay but what he was thinking was, _"I don't know what I'd do without you." _


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Thank you for the follows and reviews. **

**Disclaimer: The Big Bang Theory and all characters and creative elements derived from the source material belong exclusively to Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. **

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Chapter 3

The Friday morning Pasadena traffic was moving smoothly and on most days that would have meant that Sheldon would be sharing an over abundance of factoids or car games. Yet for the third straight morning he sat quietly staring out the passenger window. Leonard had been enjoying the quiet but decided he would make a last ditch effort to keep his roommate from creating a spectacle at the Science Friday broadcast. "Sheldon. Sheldon are you listening to me? I'm just going to drop you off at the University I really don't think Ira Flatow will like it if you just show up."

"Uh-wha-"

"Sheldon since the other night at the Cheesecake Factory you haven't been yourself. Are you coming down with something or are you going in and out of the zone again?"

"You can't get out of it Leonard, I'm going with you to the radio station. I want to be there when you set the record straight that _I_ allowed you to set straight."

Already regretting breaking the silence Leonard shot back, "You didn't allow anything. It's just science. The proof is in the results, repeated and verified. I thought you didn't want any of the attention and now you're out grabbing as much as you can."

"I don't want the attention. I just want the science community to see that I am not cowering in some corner because of what happened. I need to chalk this up to experience, a tiny footnote in my autobiography."

A contented smile spread across Leonard's face. "Wow Sheldon, I guess that talk from Wil Wheaton really helped you see the big picture. Hey- I thought Amy didn't get along with Wil. It's great to see how she can put her personal feelings aside just to seek him out, knowing he could help you. Where has she been any way?"

"Amy always just understands me better than anyone." He sighed, "We had to send Wil away but his input helped me gain perspective. As for Amy – I don't know – it appears UCLA is pulling her back again until February. That and some sick monkeys have her all twisted up in knots that I can't unravel. She hasn't been to CalTech since Tuesday."

"She was going over to Penny's this morning, maybe you should have just stayed with them to listen to the show."

"If I'm going to apologize to Ira Flatow, I'm going to do it in person."

"That's great Sheldon." Taking a sideways glance he added under his breath, "He's not the only one who is owed an apology."

The words were picked up by Sheldon's Vulcan hearing, "Yes, well I'm still trying to figure out how manage that discussion with Amy tonight."

"I- I - wasn't talking about Amy but you _do_ owe her at least a dozen apologies so plan away. Wait. Is everything alright with you two?"

"Pay attention to the road or you might miss the exit."

-o-

Amy closed the door of Penny's liquor cabinet, "You're out of vodka."

"Damn, that marshmallow flavored one was sooo good."

"It's too early anyway besides he already stopped yodeling."

"Ha! You used to think it was cute."

"I still love his yodeling but that was not the place for it and I feel bad for Leonard. I hope he gets a chance to talk."

Penny's phone buzzed. _"Sure I'll take it. I'll be there,"_ she answered then turned, "Ames, sorry I'm going to skip lunch with you. They called me in to take the lunch shift."

"No problem. I need to go pick up my things from Caltech anyway."

1001001

After checking some phone messages Leonard had directed Sheldon towards Amy, when a long sympathetic message from Penny had let him know that their plans for the day had changed.

"Hello Amy."

She looked up from the desk drawer she was cleaning to acknowledge his arrival, "Sheldon."

"Did you listen to the show?"

"Of course I did."

"Can you believe how rude Ira Flatow was? He wouldn't apologize to me and I didn't get a professional science interview – AGAIN."

"I thought you were going to point out how you were going to make corrections to your calculations and then have them retested."

"I know but I just ended up yodeling again." After a heavy sigh he stepped closer towards Amy to sulk further, "that host just isn't hospitable."

Amy continued placing notebooks and office items in a cloth grocery bag but was looking back and forth at him and what she was doing to subtly mention, "Sheldon, when you told me you were going on the show I thought you had been invited. You never said you invited yourself. You owe Leonard an apology."

Taken aback he scrunched his face and squatted to meet Amy at eye level. "What semiotics are you interpreting? He rained on my parade. He robbed me of my greatest achievement and my claim to fame. If it weren't for him -"

Her voice rose with firmness and irritation, "Sheldon, we already went through all of this so please open your eyes. If it weren't for him it would have been someone else. Leonard is your best friend and from what you've told me he's more of a brother to you than George Jr. He is only guilty of trying to be a kind and considerate friend and you've done nothing but brow beat him for days."

He rose and crossed his arms, "Amy, how can you take his side?"

"Sheldon there are no sides here and if you weren't so self-absorbed you'd see that Leonard did all of this for you. He took his entire weekend of his own time to review the testing done by the Chinese research team to verify their results. The fact that he disproved their work made him happy because it would stop you from feeling miserable. He wanted to make you happy and free you from the discovery you said time and time again that you didn't want. Could you appreciate his investment of time and energy just for you? No you couldn't, you had to make him feel guilty. You had to antagonize him. You had to butt in to his moment in the spotlight to make this about you and not about science."

"I may have overlooked -"

"Overlooked is an understatement." Amy's volume had risen several decibels but her speech had remained even and clear, "You told me he even tried to stand up to Kripke for you but I'm beginning to think you just don't care how much Leonard does for you, you don't appreciate how much he cares about you because you continue treating him like a peon."

"We're men you wouldn't understand how we communicate and -"

"Respect and appreciation are gender neutral you—you—you just take him - you take too many things for granted. The two of you have been at odds so much lately; he may be reaching his limit. Everyone has a limit. " She paused to catch her breath, squeezing her eyes tightly shut in hopes of holding back the tears.

"Amy, are you still angry about the other night? – Your body language is telling me this may not be just about Leonard?"

She shook her head looked directly at him and said, "No, Sheldon it's about you."

The room began to spin as it had on his last visit to the lab and the only thing he could think of doing was getting him and Amy out of, what he considered, a germ infested space, "Maybe we should go somewhere for lunch before we discuss this further. Hunger is a known trigger for misguided hostility."

"Misguided?" The sobs that escaped trapped the rest of her words and smothered her thoughts. "No, no", she covered her face with both of her trembling hands, trying to inhibit her emotional waterworks. "I didn't want this at work." She used her hands to fan her tears and walked back to towards the back wall of the lab to grab a tissue.

Sheldon followed and began furiously rubbing his left temple, "Amy, what's wrong? I don't know what I've done but I don't want to be at odds with you. It's not supposed to be this way for us."

"Maybe all of this is just too much for us. Were both scientists first and none of this was in our plans." She sniffed. "I know we're scheduled to talk tonight so it might be a good time to consider that we may need to give each other some space."

Eyeing the hand sanitizer behind the sink Sheldon gave it three quick pumps then rubbed his hands nervously before asking, "Space?"

She nodded

"What does that -"

Like a needle piercing an inflated balloon Bernadette's entrance through the lab's rear doors invaded the hovering tension. The sound of her voice startled them but the air slowly changed into something to which they were accustomed.

"Thank gawd you're here. Don't you answer your damn phone anymore? I've been calling you for the last forty minutes."

"Why?"

"Get your stuff we need to hurry."

Bernadette grabbed Amy's wrist to pull her and then gently pushed her towards her desk. Noticing the redness in Amy's eyes she frowned then looked back at Sheldon with a scowl, pointed her index and middle fingers towards her eyes and then pointed them back at Sheldon. He hopped back until he was stopped by the sink digging into his back.

"Hurry for what?"

"I'll explain on the way. There's no time." She grabbed the grocery bag with Amy's supplies. "Are you taking this?"

"Yes." The bag was shoved into Amy's arms. She looked back at Sheldon who was just standing in stunned silence. She raised her hand to signal – _I don't know what's happening_ – but changed it into a wave as Bernadette pushed her in the back and through the doors.

"Let's go. Let's go. Hurry." She squeaked.

They were gone leaving only silence, until Sheldon threw up in the sink.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Thank you for the follows and reviews. Happy New Year may 2014 be a year filled with peace and joy.**

**Disclaimer: The Big Bang Theory and all characters and creative elements derived from the source material belong exclusively to Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. **

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Chapter 4

Raj had just conceded a win to Leonard by putting his PS1 controller down and yelling towards the kitchen, "Sheldon aren't you going to take your turn? All you've been doing is checking your phone."

"Play away." He instantly put his phone down and waved a hand in the air, "I'm just going to make myself some mint tea. My stomach has been in distress lately. I've looked up my symptoms and I do believe I have an H Pylori infection. I'll have to go into the clinic tomorrow and take a breath test."

As the apartment door opened Sheldon shifted his attention with eager anticipation until he saw it was Penny and so returned his thoughts to his tea.

"Hey everyone, I've brought cheese bread and marinara sauce."

"ooooh, I'll start watching my figure on January 1st", Raj cheered.

"They were training some new assistants in the kitchen and they went crazy making cheese-bread. I grabbed it thinking you guys would be ready for some snackin'."

While laying out the food on the coffee table, Leonard leaned across to sweetly kiss her on the lips, "Thank you."

Behind her the door swung open again and Howard jumped from his seat to greet his wife with a kiss. "Bernie"

She returned the kiss and handed him a box. "I had to pick up my dad from the eye doctor for my mom; he had his eyes dilated, so I took him home and ate with my parents. My mom sent you guys some black forest cupcakes there are supposed to be cherries in the middle. Something new she's testing out."

Sheldon walked towards her briskly passing Howard who was headed to the kitchen, "Where's Amy?"

"That was my greatest achievement of the day. I got Amy to Atlanta." She announced.

"What!? She's gone? She left? She didn't give me any notice. She hasn't even sent me a text. What are you doing sending her to Atlanta?" With each question Sheldon's voice rose half an octave.

"She didn't have time. We got to her apartment and I helped her pack then I rushed her to the airport."

"She can't fly. She's on the No-fly list."

"I know but that's for commercial airlines. I got her on a private jet."

"Whoa." Leonard and Penny said in unison.

"Cool" smiled Raj

"How?" asked Howard

"NOoooo" Sheldon howled.

Bernadette looked at Sheldon with wide-eyed surprise forcing her tiny voice to become serious as she explained, "All week one of my company's big wigs has been around and today we had a luncheon for him. Afterwards he's chatting at our department's table and it came up that today he was flying on the company jet back to his home in Atlanta. I jokingly ask if he was willing to take a passenger. He thought it was me but I tell him that it's my friend Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler. Guess what? He knew who she was!"

"See Sheldon I don't know if you know or even care but in the world of neuroscience and addiction research Amy is a big deal. Until I got this job I didn't know but the R&D people say her name is attached to some pretty impressive studies during the last ten years."

"Okay. What was I saying? Oh yes. So I know Amy was missing that huge meeting at the CDC next week because of the No Fly List restrictions that she hasn't been able to get lifted."

"Is that the science building in Atlanta the zombies invaded that got blown up?" Penny asked Raj who gave her a big grin and a thumbs up. "See I do know stuff."

"What huge meeting?" asked Leonard.

Sheldon looked at him and spoke through a tightened jaw and with hands flying in all directions, "The CDC, NIH, FDA and every confounded agency has been trying to gather experts in the field of addiction so the government can regulate these e-cigarettes that have become so popular. The tobacco companies do not need FDA approval and they have put significant dollars out there to keep it that way."

Nodding her head with agreement and excitement Bernadette continued, "With all these big players involved the boost to Amy's profile and career would be enormous. These things just don't come along very often for any scientist but especially for lady scientists. I couldn't just let her pass it up."

Leonard walked around the table and placed a hand on Sheldon's shoulder to guide him towards his spot while asking, "Isn't it odd that they're having this meeting now, so close to the holidays?"

Sheldon sat down as he responded. "It was supposed to happen in April, then June, then August, then the government shutdown came, but now to have it this close to the holidays doesn't make sense."

"It's bureaucracy!" The high pitched squeak startled Leonard who was closely watching Sheldon alternately rub his wrists and grab his ears.

"Of course it doesn't make sense. Maybe everyone decided to play nice. Maybe funding for the meeting and travel expire at the end of the year. Who cares. All that matters is that Amy is part of a select few to spearhead whatever it is they're working on and I got her there!"

Sheldon scurried to his desk chair and opened his laptop, "That remains to be determined. Personal air transports have a high incidence of accidents. If I would have known ahead of time I could have done a background check on the plane's safety record and checked the log hours of the pilot."

"Honestly, Sheldon I don't think our company would let our CEO's fly around in unsafe airplanes with dangerous pilots."

"I'd still like to verify that myself. Who is this boss of yours?"

"His name Tyler Blanchard, he's one of our vice presidents."

"Was he the pilot?"

"I don't think so. That's not something he mentioned."

"What type of jet was it? Was it new or old?"

"I don't know and I don't know."

"Is he young, single, how much is he worth?" interrupted Penny which caused Howard to laugh and join in.

"Maybe he can get Amy into the mile high club since we know Sheldon won't ever join."

"Howard - stop. Sheldon you have nothing to worry about. He has a reputation as a polite southern gentleman from all the people that have worked with him. I wouldn't have asked for the favor if I considered otherwise."

"What is their flight itinerary? In what hotel will she stay?"

"I don't know Sheldon. She was trying to book something on our way to the airport."

"I need to research the crime rate in the area." He rose to grab his phone, rubbed it but found he still didn't have any messages leaving him with a hound dog expression as he clutched the phone to his chest. Everyone watched him silently not sure whether to comfort or tease him to lift him out of his concern. Beads of perspiration formed above his brows but intensity darkened in his eyes, informing all that his mind was at work and not just wrapped in worry.

"What day will your boss be returning?"

"Oh, I don't think he'll be back until February."

"Let me rephrase my question – when will the jet be bringing Amy back?"

"Bringing Amy back?"

"Yes"

"eh-hem oh – I hadn't thought of that."


End file.
